La Hispaniola Buffet — Restaurant in Higüey

What can our say about our experience here. The only thing I regret is we didn't have a chance to say a final goodbye to the two waiters who treated my family like gold during our stay (which is why I'm posting a photo of our family hoping that someone will show them this review).

La Hispaniola is the main buffet at the Grand Bavaro Princess resort, located right next to the lobby. It's open for everyone, and they offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We were there almost everyday (either as a family or sometimes my kids went on their own).

I have celiac and from Montreal, where there aren't a ton of good gf restaurants so I'm just accustomed to sticking with meat and veggies. Overall I always found something to eat when I was there and in general, I find a lot of the food in the islands are flour-less anyway. I stuck with meat and veggies, never had a noticeable reaction.

For the rest of my family, they loved the variety of options and yes, some of the food was repetitive but there seemed to be a "theme" everyday. Some days had more dishes from DR, other days were more seafood based etc. One of my daughters is a crepe freak and really appreciated the crepe station, which is available for breakfast, lunch and dinner and is the last station (it's in the corner so it's easy to miss). There is a pasta station which I heard was really good too, according to my family.

This buffet gets REALLY busy the later you go. We programmed ourselves to show up at opening so it wasn't so bad. The lines for the grilled food can get really long (especially when it's taco night) but I find it goes really quickly. I think there are just too many people "hanging out" which makes the wait longer than it should be.

Overall, my family felt like VIPs when we were there and like I said, our only regret is we didn't say goodbye to our two favourite waiters who made it all happen. They mainly worked at the six-seater wooden booths right when you walk in. If you are reading this review and are visiting, please show this post to them as a message...

La Hispaniola restaurant – became the heartbeat of our dining escapades on this surprise birthday trip my AWE-mazing hubby whisked me away to, our first time in the DR. Our overall trip to the resort itself could have easily been overshadowed by the countless mishaps and the underwhelming experience by large had it not been for the outstanding waitstaff… There's a crew of unsung heroes I just gotta give a huge shoutout to!

Nereida and her crew? Absolute gems. Picture this: Nereida's smile lights up the whole room… like my aunt calls it: she smiles with her whole gut and soul which reflected in every interaction with her. Nereida’s whole vibe is like a warm hug on a chilly day. All the sweet extra touches along the way kept us coming back even when we could have dined in the Platinum designated areas. We opted for an atmosphere where you could feel the love flow and be around people who visibly enjoyed being there and doing their job exceptionally well.

Now, let's talk about the dream team – Nereida, Jose, Yesenia, and Delfina. Their vibe was contagious, and the way they amped up my surprise birthday was just pure magic. A crew that made us feel like we were among dear friends. The engagement was bar none!

We had certain expectations for the resort itself that were grossly missed in other areas, while Nereida and her crew were the unsung heroes that outshined in the most unlikely of places. It could've easily been a letdown, considering all the hype and why hubby decided to go all out with the Platinum experience.

Without Nereida, Jose, Yesenia, and Delfina, my surprise birthday trip would've fizzled quickly (except for the beach and nature’s stunning backdrop). So this isn’t a post about fancy bites or top-notch drinks; it was about the people – the real rockstars at the frontline. The immaculate reception of this team turned what could've been a birthday hiccup into a celebration we'll be smiling about for ages. Big love to these...

Great food and absolutely amazing service by the staff. For 7 days straight I felt like my wife and I were being served by our long time friends. Graciella prepared a stunning table for us every morning with flowers, Ramon made sure we were always happy, Santana was funny and friendly, Cristoballina was amazing and friendly and so were the rest of the staff whom I can’t name all. God bless these people who made our Honeymoon a...